A Greater Evil
by Orange Headphones
Summary: When something strange happens to the sky, Link finds out of an evil so powerful that even Ganondorf greatly feared it.
1. A Strange Occurence

With one last powerful swing of the Master Sword, Link had finally done it. The Gerudo King's reign of terror over Hyrule was finally over. When he plunged the Blade of Evil's Bane into the head of Ganon, the infernal beast's influence finally looked to come to an end.

However, something Link did not expect happened some few years later. As he lied on the calm and swaying green grass of Hyrule Field, the bright sun that shone over Hyrule that day suddenly came to be overshadowed. Opening his eyes, Link expected the change to be from a simple cloud, but instead it seemed that it was something else.

Getting to his feet, the young man stretched his arms over his head and elevated his gaze to the sun. What he saw deeply puzzled him: the sun seemed to be blocked out by a patch of darkness with no known origin to the young Hylian warrior. As he continued to gaze at the strange sight in the sky, it almost seemed as if the darkness slightly expanded across the sky.

Knowing one person in particular might know what the cause of the strange change in the sky was, the tall man ran north towards the central city of Hyrule: Hyrule Castle Town. From there he hoped to find the princess of Hyrule, also his good friend, Zelda.

As he rushed through the busy side streets and crowds of people, Link could not be stopped. He was intently determined to find Princess Zelda, the carrier of the mystical Triforce of Wisdom. If he ever had had a problem, Zelda had always been the one he went to for sage advice. Truly, if she didn't know what the cause of this curious change in the sky was, then it was doubtful that anyone else would.

When he finally reached Zelda, Link found stopped in the courtyard where he had first met Zelda, just a few years ago. Panting from a lack of energy, Link momentarily rested his hands on his knees, before regaining his composure. When he had it back, Link quickly called out to Zelda, seeing her facing the other way in the courtyard.

Seeing Zelda's face affirmed Link's worries that something definitely amiss was at hand. Her normally calm and peaceful blue eyes had changed to a worrisome mood. However, upon seeing Link being the one who called to her, Zelda let out a small and relaxing sigh and turned towards the hero who had rescued her from the clutches of Ganon in the future that wouldn't occur.

Link simply asked his princess, "Zelda, have you seen what's happened in the sky?"

Zelda momentarily stared at the ground, then, with her eyes still averted to the ground, somewhat pitifully nodded. In response, she added, "It is as I feared, Link. There's something I need to tell you."

Link, definitely more concerned about the events that were occurring at the time than he was before, beckoned Zelda to continue, saying, "What is it, Zelda?"

"Well," she began, pausing to gather her words carefully, "when Ganondorf had captured me after I revealed my identity to you in the Temple of Time, even he seemed to have some worries about the limit of his power. It wasn't you that he feared, but instead the King of Evil seemed to believe that he needed to gather the entire Triforce to be able to maintain his rule of Hyrule. Because of his diverted attention, he viewed you and me as merely annoying paws that had to be stopped."

At this time, Link seemed to be a bit confused, as evidenced by asking Zelda, "That doesn't much surprise me, but what do you mean by him needing the Triforce to 'maintain his rule'?"

Worriedly, Zelda again sighed and told Link, "For some reason, Ganondorf confided in me his greatest fear, someone usurping his power. He hoped that with the Triforce of Power, he would be able to have near-unlimited power, but that power soon proved to be less than he hoped it would be. He knew that for truly potent power, he would need the entire Triforce. Still, even though he knew the power of the Triforce, he couldn't help but feel that there was something stronger."

Link somehow found himself even more perplexed by Zelda's elaboration, so he decided to ask a very direct question. "Zelda," he asked, "was there really someone he feared would take his power, or was it merely just the fear that comes with power?"

Zelda truly did not want to answer this question of Links, but she felt that she owed it to him, so she somberly responded, "Yes, Link. Ganondorf did believe that there was an evil greater than him. Before he acquired the Triforce of Power in the Temple of Time, he had encountered a figure, as if from another world entirely, that implanted pure fear into the heart of a proud and confident character such as Ganondorf upon mere sight. He knew then that this was no ordinary man, but indeed something supernatural itself."

Though he was a bold and courageous warrior (as would seem obvious for one that had the Triforce of Courage inside of him), Link was taken aback at the supposed power of this new figure. He was convinced that there couldn't be one who was more powerful than Ganondorf, simply because it had taken all of Link's energy to be able to defeat that powerful beast of power. Link asked, "Are you serious, Zelda?"

"Sadly, Link, I tell you no lies. It seems that that figure has finally shown itself, feeling that the only possible threat to its power is no longer there. At first, I too didn't believe what Ganondorf was speaking about, but when I was able to feel inside the power that Ganondorf spoke of through some great power, I too cowered in fear for a while. In vain I decided not to believe what I knew was the truth, but instead decided to have Ganondorf defeated and sent away."

Link, with some resistance to defeat asked, "So do you think that this thing is responsible for the change in the sky?"

Zelda's response was short, but to the point. She said, "Yes, Link. I know it is responsible for the sky's change."


	2. The Presence

Hoping by the slimmest of threads, Link asked, "Is there any way that this thing can be defeated."

Zelda turned away for a moment, ashamed. When she finally responded to Link, she said, "I wish I could say I knew if there is a way to defeat this thing. The only one who truly knows that is Ganondorf."

Link quickly gritted his teeth, yelling, "Then what's the point? Ganondorf is sealed away, and if he's the only one who knows anything really about this thing that's blacked out the sun, then what hope is there?"

Impulsively, Zelda quickly slapped Link powerfully across the cheek. "Shut up!" she yelled, ironically showing herself to be the one with more fortitude than the one who was supposedly the most courageous individual in all of Hyrule. "Just because Ganondorf is the only one who knows much about this thing doesn't mean that you can't defeat it. Remember when you ventured into all of Hyrule's temples, scouring them for the Sages' medallions so you could attempt to undo Ganondorf's terror? You didn't know anything about what you were going through, but you faced it anyways. You know you're a hero; act like it."

Shaking his head for a moment, Link's head began to clear as he slowly understood what Zelda was trying to tell him. Closing his left hand into a fist of determination, he said, "You're right, Zelda. My only question is what we're going to do."

"That's no problem. You're going to lose your precious princess," a booming and powerful voice proclaimed as a new figure entered the courtyard where princess and hero were gathered. "Nothing can stop me," he pompously said. Still, there was something about this figure that made it seem as if its words were true. The figure stood slightly taller than Link, looking as physically powerful as Ganondorf, but one thing about him struck fear into even Link: his presence was simply overwhelming.

In vain, Link drew a simple sword to try and defend Zelda. As he got into his fighting stance, the figure simply smirked and moved its hand to one side, telekinetically sending Link over to the far wall of the courtyard. As Link crumpled into a heap against the wall, the figure strode over to Zelda. Before he took Zelda away with him, she cried out to Link, who somehow just managed to catch a last glimpse of Zelda before she vanished to wherever this figure took her.

Once he realized what exactly had taken place, Link swore loudly and banged his head against his fist, feeling he had failed his princess. Once he was able to calm himself, however, Link thought of his one remaining hope: Ganondorf. Though it would be risky and flat out world-threatening, Link felt that the only way to be able to handle something as powerful as that figure that came and took Zelda would be to ally himself with the most powerful being in all of Hyrule. Undisputedly, Ganondorf was the only one who fit that description. His only concern was how he would get into the Sacred Realm where Ganondorf was.

Once an idea of where to go clicked, Link rushed over to the Temple of Time. Once inside the massive edifice, the beauty and solemn mood of the temple came back to him. In a brief moment of nostalgia, Link stopped at the Altar of Time and looked to see where he had placed the three spiritual stones when he first allied himself with Princess Zelda. However, Link quickly kept moving further on, eventually reaching the empty back room behind the Door of Time. The silence and solitary light seemed to contain an atmosphere of some fleeting hope in the despair that had just befallen Hyrule. Maybe there could be something good to come of it.

Just as Link hoped, the Master Sword was again seated in the Pedestal of Time. Ascending the white marble steps, Link grasped the hilt of the blade that had, at one time, been almost like another limb to him. Pulling the mystical blade from its resting place, Link felt a great righteous power flow through his veins. With such power against the forces of darkness under his belt, Link, for a moment, forgot the immediacy of the quest he was on.

When he remembered, Link called out for the first sage he had encountered (that he knew was a sage), Rauru. In a pale, transparent form, the ancient sage appeared before Link yet again. The rotund man definitely bore signs of age, as he had no hair upon his face and his great mustache was definitely snow white; in addition, his faded orange robes seemed to be from a period several centuries before Link's birth.

Upon seeing Link, the ancient sage suddenly acquired an expression of shock, saying, "Hero of Time, is that you?"

Link merely nodded in response. Before Rauru could ask another question, Link asked, "Rauru, do you know how I could get into the Sacred Realm?"

"The Sacred Realm…" Rauru was shocked. He thought no one, especially Link, would want to enter there since Ganondorf was imprisoned there. "Link, don't you know that Ganondorf is locked away inside there?"

Determinedly, Link said, "Yes, Rauru, I know he's in there. That's why I need to go into the Sacred Realm. I need him."

Trying to avoid the risky situation at hand, Rauru implored Link, "Why do you need the King of Evil. Ever since he acquired the Triforce of Power, he has been bent on the destruction of Hyrule. I don't think that his time imprisoned within the Sacred Realm has allowed that desire to wane. Instead, he has started to build up an empire within the Sacred Realm, readying to escape."

"Rauru, I know you are no stupid man, especially since you are a sage. Haven't you felt the new darkness within our land of Hyrule? You know as well as I that that darkness in the air is a result of something other than Ganondorf, something more powerful."

"Indeed, I have felt the new presence, but I did not want to acknowledge it as much more than a mere nuisance to one such as you."

"Trust me; this thing is much more powerful than I am on my own. His power is enough to strike fear into even _my_ heart. I alone, even with the aid of the sages and the Master Sword, stand no chance against him. Ganondorf knows of this evil, and I believe he is the only one who can help me stop it."

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Link?"

"I am. This thing must be defeated to save Hyrule and our Princess Zelda."


	3. Inside The Sacred Realm

Once he arrived inside the Sacred Realm, Link took a brief moment to purvey his surroundings. The sacred realm was far from what he had anticipated it to be; already, Gannondorf's powerful influence had pervaded the small corner Link found himself located in. Ganon's Castle and its surrounding area did not even begin to compare to the new area Link found himself in. While yet again there was a massive fortress, the surrounding area was definitely more affected. (Link was a good 200 feet away, and all he could see was decay that seemed to emanate from Ganondorf's presence.)

Still, knowing what he must do, Link pressed onward towards Ganondorf's tower. Upon finally reaching the new fortress, he saw that it was undeniably at least twice as tall as Ganondorf's previous fortress. The Hero of Time slowly took a deep breath before he entered the stronghold; he only hoped that he could complete his mission in time to be able to rescue Zelda.

Strangely enough, in the first room of Ganondorf's new tower, Link found a large staircase that lead to the next level. Puzzlingly eyeing the staircase, Link made sure that the stairs were secure and not just a trap by taking a relatively insignificant green rupee out of his wallet and throwing it upon the stairs. When they did not collapse, Link deemed it safe to ascend the stairs, leading him to the second floor of Ganondorf's tower.

However, the second floor was not so easy to pass, as Link soon found himself face to face with a trio of Dinolfos. The tall, bipedal, green lizards menacingly breathed upon Link's face. However, Link was not one to be intimidated by creatures such as these. In response to their challenge, Link drew his Master Sword and Hylian Shield, ready to do combat with these new foes.

Leaping into battle, Link accurately swiped his sword, clipping two Dinolfos in a single strike. When his foes attempted to strike back at him, Link parried the blows and struck at them from behind, hitting them in their least protected area. Within a few more minutes, the lizards were easily defeated; Link walked away from it without the slightest signs of a scratch.

In this next room, Link found, as he had once before, two Iron Knuckles lurking. The two foes were encased in a thick suit of armor, yet that caused the two behemoths to move much slower than they would have otherwise, giving Link the opportunity to quickly strike them.

Sneaking up behind the first Iron Knuckle, Link stabbed it a few times with the Master Sword before it realized what was going on. When it turned around to see who had stabbed it a few times, Link was out of sight, again behind the Iron Knuckle. In confusion, the creature swung its deathly powerful axe.

With the first axe strike delivered, the first Iron Knuckle was able to awaken the second Iron Knuckle. With two powerful foes after him, Link moved backwards and out of the range of the axe attacks. When the Iron Knuckles came into range, Link rolled out of the way and attacked them from behind.

Soon enough, Link had done enough damage to the Iron Knuckles that their armor fell off, allowing the two to move at a much greater speed with no less threat of an untimely death for Link. Still, the hero fought bravely, challenging the two massive creatures directly. His trusty Hylian Shield was able to sufficiently protect him while he waited for the prime opportunity to strike. When he got that opportunity, Link took a powerful swing with his sword and effectively finished off both Iron Knuckles with minimal damage.

From the room with the Iron Knuckles, Link found yet another staircase, seemingly leading more than one floor up. Again, Link tested the staircase and found it to be false this time. However, Link saw no doors surrounding the staircase he had found himself at. Backtracking, the only other place Link saw a door was next to the first staircase he encountered.

As he entered that door, Link found several Gibdos and Redeads. Luckily, Link had come to the Sacred Realm prepared, as he quickly pulled out his ocarina and played the Sun's Song, immediately freezing the reanimated deceased as if they were mere statues. Thus, Link moved into the next room unharmed.

Yet again, Link traveled into another room. This time he found the foes that most resembled him, the skeleton warriors known as Stalfos. The Stalfos in this room sported slightly rusted swords (likely from the time when the bones were once alive) and somewhat corroded shields. For being merely bones, these creatures fought to the death in order to try and win.

Lunging at the first of the two Stalfos in the room, Link engaged it in a hard-fought swordfight. After a number of smart strokes to the bone creature's ribs, Link had succeeded in dismantling the first Stalfos. However, when he lunged at the second Stalfos, it just backed away from Link, almost waiting for something.

Before Link could deliver a successful attack to the second Stalfos, the first Stalfos had reassembled itself. Unfortunately, Link did not recognize that, as he was caught by surprise by a slash across his back. Finally significantly injured, Link rolled out of the way of danger readied to attack both the Stalfos simultaneously.

In a corner of the room, Link set his legendary blade behind his back, waiting for the Stalfos to come at him. When the two minions of Ganondorf came within striking range of Link's attack, he released his charged sword spin, delivering enough damage to both Stalfos to reduce them both to mere bones again. Then, the enchanted bones lost their magic and crumbled to mere dust.

Proceeding into the next room, Link again saw a massive staircase; this time it looked as if it would take him all the way to the top of the tower. Halting to test the staircase once again, Link found that the stairs were legitimate. Climbing to the top of the staircase, Link's predicament flashed in his mind again. He knew Ganondorf was a tyrant bent on destruction, but just maybe there was enough goodness in the desert man's heart to ally himself with Link in order to defeat an evil that was even greater than he was.

When he reached the top of the staircase, Link knew that the first pivotal moment of this quest lied behind that door. If he could convince Ganondorf to aid him in this new quest, there was still some hope for Hyrule and hope for Princess Zelda. However, Link knew that if he failed at this point in his quest, there was no way that he could succeed in overthrowing the new tyrannical figure.


	4. Ganondorf

Boldly thrusting open the doors, Link yelled, "Ganondorf!"

Briefly surveying the room, Link found it to be mostly a plain room, sealed off from the rest of creation and life. The room seemed to reek of the scent of decay, as seemed customary when dealing with Ganondorf. Only one thing in the room stood out to Link: his eternal foe playing an ominous melody upon his old organ.

Turning around, the King of Evil opened his eyes for a moment in surprise. Once he collected his thoughts, he venomously asked, "What are you doing here?"

Speaking authoritatively, Link responded, "I've come to make a proposition with you."

Angrily, Ganondorf told Link, "You know I could just kill you here. Why would I agree to whatever proposition that you have for me?"

Speaking firmly, Link responded, "Two reasons: first, I could just as easily kill you as you could kill me, and second, the proposition I have for you involves freeing you from this realm and getting you back into Hyrule."

Raising an eyebrow, Ganondorf somewhat more calmly asked, "And what exactly is this proposition that you have for me, Kid?"

"Well," Link began, "It seems that Zelda has yet again been kidnapped. I need your help in rescuing her from the being that imprisoned her this time."

"What do I care about your foolish little princess?" the desert man retorted.

Continuing with his plan, Link told him, "I think you'd care, simply because of whom it was that kidnapped her. I believe that you'd remember the one being that you feared, especially when you ruled over the land of Hyrule (before I awoke from my seven-year slumber). Well, that's who's responsible fore kidnapping Zelda; I know that you not only want to overthrow a beast like this, so why not take that chance, Ganondorf?"

"As much as it pains me to say, coupled with my hatred of you, I'll take you up on your proposal. As much as I loathe you and Zelda, I hate that man even more than either of you. I'll accompany you in order to take him down, but I warn you to stay out of my way. If we are to be allies, it will be on my terms, and once our mutual foe is defeated, all bets are off."

Relishing the adventure he knew was coming, Link somewhat slyly grinned and told his temporary partner, "I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, since I only heard little details from Zelda, can you tell me something about who this foe of ours is?"

"True enough, you should know who exactly you come to fight against. From the look on your face, I can tell that you have encountered him; he is indeed a powerful man whose presence alone is capable of mighty deeds of destruction. You know how powerful I was as Ganon; well, he's easily twice or three times as strong as I was then. I cannot say I know much about him, but I do know that he has been called The Fiend."

Pausing a moment to mull over the description, Link asked, "The Fiend, eh? I can definitely see where he gets that name, yet I think that we can take him down, given the right set of circumstances."

Still somewhat confused by Link's attitude, Ganondorf asked, "What makes you think that you can defeat The Fiend?"

"Frankly," Link spoke, "I don't know if it's just a hunch, but I think that since between the two of us, we have two thirds of the Triforce. And if two thirds aren't enough to defeat The Fiend, we can make it to Zelda, and then all three parts would be assembled."

Seriously, Ganondorf said, "I don't know whether or not your scheme to try and defeat The Fiend is enough, but I'll take that risk to leave this realm and set my feet back on the soil of Hyrule. Just remember that after The Fiend is defeated, we no longer have an alliance."

"I expected nothing less than that from you, Ganondorf. I'll take that risk."

Ushering the King of Evil forwards, Link had the man he had at one point wished to kill (whom he was in a relatively weak alliance with) lead him back to the area outside of the massive tower and back into the regular area of the Sacred Realm.

After giving Ganondorf a signal to remain quiet, Link called out in the direction of the sky, "Rauru, are you there?"

Link waited a short while in aggravated silence before he got his response. "Yes, Link. Yes I am," Rauru responded.

"Rauru, I've found Ganondorf. I need you to bring him and me back into Hyrule. Can you do that?"

Link heard the sigh from Rauru, who obviously must have still had his qualms about the scenario Link had in mind. Waiting a little longer, Rauru finally responded, "I'll do it, Link."

A bright light suddenly descended from the sky of the Sacred Realm, making itself present in the form of a portal. Ganondorf, closely followed by Link, stepped into the portal of light and found himself back in the land of Hyrule. Finding himself face to face with the Sage of Light (Rauru) Ganondorf again remembered when he was denied the entire Triforce.

Before any altercation could occur, Link stepped back into Hyrule and turned to the Gerudo that he had brought from the Sacred Realm. To avoid any altercation, said to Ganondorf, "Easy there. Remember, you're here to help defeat The Fiend, not try to take over Hyrule again."

With that, Ganondorf expressed a very forced smile as he turned away from Rauru and stepped out of the Temple of Time with Link right in front of him. The King of Evil breathed fresh Hylian air again and again remembered his attempts to rule over the land. He knew that he would have to hold those memories in check. Even if he did attempt to take over the land of Hyrule again, he knew that The Fiend would still remain at large.


	5. Looking for The Fiend

After they reached Hyrule Field, Link asked his temporary partner, "Where is The Fiend located?"

The King of Evil glared at the Hero of Time. "You mean to tell me that you came and brought me out of the Sacred Realm to try and help you combat The Fiend, but you had no idea where he was?"

In an attempt to defend his honor, Link stated, "If you remember correctly, I didn't know who The Fiend was until Zelda told me about him, and she got the information from you. So, do you expect me to know anything about his location from the few minutes I felt his presence?"

Though he knew Link spoke the truth, he felt the urge to further provoke Link into doing something somewhat hasty, so he said, "You're just pathetic."

Trying to cool down, Link somewhat coolly retorted, "Then you're even more pathetic than I am."

Ganondorf sighed; both of them knew that these childish games could last quite a while, but if they couldn't track down The Fiend, then they were here for naught. After the situation had cooled somewhat, Ganondorf told Link, "I first encountered his presence in the desert. Maybe he's out that way."

Link nodded in an agreement and followed his rival onward to the desert, hoping to find a trace of The Fiend, but their efforts were mostly in vain. The Fiend, it seemed, had no place that he called his own special base of sorts, simply because he alone could handle entire armies.

Frustrated and somewhat tired, the two left the desert and again found themselves in Hyrule Field. Link took off his cap and asked, somewhat to Ganondorf and somewhat to himself, "Where could he be? He may be The Fiend and possibly mightier than you and I, but even he must have a place that he can call his own. The question is where he might be."

The two slowly ventured over to the wall in Hyrule Field and began to ponder where The Fiend might have some sort of stronghold. Brief and incomplete ideas came far and few between. Ideas such as searching Hyrule Castle's library about him and the Sacred Realm were shot down, simply because they would have been noticed long ago.

Staring up to the sky, Link suddenly got a somewhat innovative idea. Nudging the Gerudo who was also sitting upon the wall, Link said, "I think I might have it."

Understandably skeptical of Link's new idea before he heard it, Ganondorf asked, "What makes you think this idea is any better than your last one? The idea of searching the castle library was a pitiful idea."

Not wishing to hear too much of the insult, Link responded, "Indeed, the idea of information being hidden in the castle library was a bit of a farfetched assumption, but this time I think I may have something. Before The Fiend appeared to Zelda and me, I noticed that the sun had suddenly been blacked out by some mysterious force. I first thought that it was just a method of The Fiend's to show his presence, but what if his stronghold is actually up there?"

"Hmm…" Ganondorf mused, "That doesn't seem to be too bad of an idea. It even would explain why the desert was unusually dark that day that I encountered him, as well as why nobody's heard of The Fiend aside from those he's directly encountered. Nobody has been able to venture that high before, but perhaps we can, in order to find him."

Feeling somewhat proud of his idea, Link smiled and then wondered how the two of them could get up to the sun. When nothing came to mind quickly enough, he asked, "Any bright ideas on how to get up there?"

Again, Ganondorf glared menacingly at Link. "You really like to push me, don't you, kid?" he asked in a somewhat vulgar mood. "How am I supposed to know how to get up to the sun? Nobody's done it before."

Pointing out a relatively obvious fact, Link noted, "Nobody was able to pull out the Master Sword before I was, so what makes you think that this little venture might be impossible?"

"You know," the desert man started coldly, "if you keep asking how you're going to get up there, I'll throw you up high enough, then enjoy when you hit the hard ground. So, don't mention such stupid points."

Trying to act somewhat maturely, Link stated, "I know that that idea wouldn't work, but I know that we've got to get up there. So, if we can't get up there directly, there's always the more indirect way to get somewhere." He took out the Ocarina of Time and held it up in front of Ganondorf. "Do you know something that might relate to The Fiend in any way?"

Having to admit that Link had made a few good points (much to his annoyance), Ganondorf had to say, "I do not know how any direct songs that would relate to The Fiend, but your Sun's Song might just somehow do the trick. Sure, it just changed the time from night to day before, but now, with the sun in the strange shape it's in, it might just do something strange enough."

Astounded at that logic, Link nodded and began to play on his ocarina. As the final notes of the Sun's Song emitted from the Ocarina of Time, the yellow beam of light that usually engulfed Link (this time also engulfing Ganondorf) did not change day to night, as was previously expected, but indeed transported the two right up to the blackness surrounding the sun. It seemed, after that long wait, they had found their way to find The Fiend.

When the two landed, they found themselves in a dark wasteland, easily twice as fearsome as any base Ganondorf could have created. Though they could see nothing directly in the nothingness, Link swore that he noticed the peak of something rising from the ground many miles around. When he strained his eyes, Ganondorf could also see the place Link was pointing to. They set off, hoping that they were in the proper location.


	6. Searching In The Dark

Though neither of the two intrepid adventurers was usually fast by any means, they somehow managed to sprint over towards The Fiend's fortress, or at least what they perceived to be his fortress

Though neither of the two intrepid adventurers was usually fast by any means, they somehow managed to sprint over towards The Fiend's fortress, or at least what they perceived to be his fortress. As they progressed further and further into the darkness, their visibility became more strained; eventually it got to the point that neither of the two was able to see more than the vague outlines of things.

From there, they stopped, as if in unison. Link called out, "Ganondorf, where are you?"

Irritably, the desert man responded, "I'm right over here. No, I'm to your left," he added hastily when he detected Link going the other way.

"Do you have some kind of light?"

Ganondorf, in a somewhat worse mood, retorted, "Now tell me why I would have a light since I've spent most of my time in the Sacred Realm since you sealed me there."

Bordering on sarcasm, Link said, "Well, excuse me, but I thought that the 'Great King of Evil' would be able to keep a source of light on him."

"Well then, why don't you have one on you? After all, aren't you the hero who set out to vanquish me?"

As the two reluctant teammates continued to bicker, a small light began to shine, as if it had come from out of nowhere. From where the two were, it was little else than a speck on the horizon, but they quickly noticed it.

"…and why don't you just-hey, what's that there?" Link asked, changing his attitude from apprehension to interest.

"I don't know what it is," Ganondorf calmly responded, "but it's the best lead we've got; why not follow it?"

"Yeah; let's hope it leads us to The Fiend."

Again returning to a quick run, the two progressed, and surely enough, the darkness around them seemed to dissipate while that once meager speck of light seemed to guide them along a path. Eventually, they reached what seemed to be a massive lair, easily twice the size of Ganondorf's castle in the sacred realm. But strangely enough, the castle itself was relatively plain, seeming to be nothing more than an open door into a tall rectangular chamber.

Regardless, they passed into the first room, but found nothing in the rather commodious room; it was bare, but huge. So, they continued to proceed further into the lair, following the light, which had become relatively bright by that time. They entered room upon room, but in the light they found nothing but large, empty rooms. However, when the light seemed brightest, they finally entered a chamber that was relatively dark again.

Looking around, it seemed to the two adventurers that they had stumbled upon the central chamber. However, the thing that most tipped them off about that was the sight of Zelda, holding her hands above her head. She had been their light through the darkness, the one trying to get them to her.

When he saw her, Link yelled, "Zelda!" He immediately ran over to her, looking to grab her and take her back to Hyrule. However, things would not be that easy for him, as he found when he came close to Zelda. Just before he could grab her hand, she shrieked painfully. For a fraction of a second, Link thought it was a response to him, but then he saw the obscured figure of The Fiend, hovering behind her in the darkness.

The cold voice mocked him, "So, you think that you can come here and _rescue_ the princess that easily, do you? You're pathetic to think that, Hero of Time. When I'm here, you don't stand a chance."

Link growled and muttered, "You monster," under his breath.

Before he mocked Link further, The Fiend noticed Link's comrade and turned his attention to him. "So, it's finally you again. I wondered when the last piece of the Triforce would be able to arrive. You've impressed me with your haste; I thought it would take much longer for _you_ to show up again. You're still under the impression that you might stand a chance against me with that Triforce of Power you hold, aren't you?"

With that, The Fiend released a stream of darkness at Ganondorf. Showing some skill in the shadows, Ganondorf countered with a stream of his own, equal in strength to the initial blast. Hoping to take advantage while the other two were distracted, Link tried to run and slash at The Fiend in his own right. However, that was met with defeat on one level and weak victory on another. The Fiend did indeed divert his attention to attack Link, but he was defeated quickly. In the meantime, Ganondorf's stream of shadows managed to inflict very minor damage to The Fiend.

Wanting to waste no more time, The Fiend again mocked his opposition. "Is that the best you can do? I could outdo that in my sleep, but I don't want to kill you now. That would only scatter your Triforce shards, and that's something I don't want to do, especially when I have all three pieces here. They'll slowly come together and summon the Triforce. That's why I let Zelda guide you here. Your hope ends here, fools."

However, Zelda managed to do something that surprised even The Fiend. Yelling out, she cried, "You'll never take my Triforce that easily. I've done this once before, and even though it weakened me considerably, I'll be willing to do it here." As if beginning an incantation, she continued, "Triforce of Wisdom, I know you lie within me; scatter yourself throughout the land of Hyrule. Though it may take all of my strength, scatter far and wide."

As she said that, she began to glow a pure gold, hovering with Triforce energy. When she was finished, the gold faded from her, and the Triforce Shards, acting like beams of light, scattered at a blinding speed, much too fast for any one to track. When she returned to the ground, Zelda sighed and resigned a near-unconscious state. Weakly, she managed to say, "Quickly, get them."

As soon as those words were out of her mouth, Link grabbed Ganondorf and quickly played "The Prelude of Light," successfully warping the two back to Hyrule. Though they had barely tried to fight The Fiend, both admitted that they could not have fought him as he was, especially with so much tension between them. Even though it may not have looked promising, they both had the new hope that finding the scattered pieces of the final Triforce piece could give them the power to defeat The Fiend. After all, the Triforce could grant any wish; it would just have to be used wisely.


End file.
